1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automobile wheels and, more particularly, to an automobile wheel having decorative load bearing twisted link lace replacing the conventional wire wheel spokes.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, decorative wheels, particularly spoked for automobiles, are well known. Various novel ways have been developed for conventional automobile wheels having a spoked look. The problem with conventional spoked wheels is that the ends of the spokes protrude through the rim of the wheel requiring a seal on the inside of the tire rim that often leaks. Consequently, conventional tubed tires must be used. Another problem with such wheels is that the spokes require periodic adjustment to keep the proper tension between the wheel hub and outer rim. Failure to do so may cause the wheel to be dangerously unbalanced. The designs in the art solve this problem by adding a non-load bearing simulated spoke structure to a conventional automobile wheel. Examples of these type of designs can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,782 issued to Reppert, U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,357 issued to Reppert, U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,293 issued to Norris, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,478 issued to Brown, U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,479 issued to Weld, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,785 issued to Norris, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,859 issued to Weld is an automobile wheel manufacturing for the wheel described in '479 also issued to Weld. U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,252 is a design of a wheel having a simulated wire wheel cover.
However, many automobile owners still desire an aesthetically pleasing wheel design that functions like conventional spoked wheels yet still allows the use of conventional tubeless tires. The present invention solves this problem by replacing the load bearing spokes with a decorative load bearing twisted steel link lace design. The twisted steel link lace is pre-tensioned upon assembly and eliminates the need for periodic spoke adjustment as in conventional spoked.